Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · Oct 2008
ReviewAn update on substance use and treatment following traumatic brain injury.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity among young adults. Substance abusers constitute a disproportionate percentage of these patients. A history of substance abuse predicts increased disability, poorer prognosis, and delayed recovery. ⋯ While this comorbidity presents a challenge for the successful treatment and rehabilitation of both disorders, there is sparse evidence to recommend any specific treatment strategy for these individuals. Mild TBI and substance abuse are bidirectionally related both for risks and treatment. Further understanding the neuropsychiatric pathology and different effects of different types of injuries will likely improve the implementation of effective treatments for each of these two conditions.
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · Oct 2008
Role of the NMDA receptor and nitric oxide in memory reconsolidation of cocaine-induced conditioned place preference in mice.
Classical pavlovian conditioning has a major role in the development and persistence of drug addiction. Appetitive conditioning by drug reward, as measured by the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm, is an exemplar of classical pavlovian conditioning. Aversive conditioning by footshock involves learning and memory processes similar to those involved in appetitive conditioning. ⋯ Male nNOS knockout (KO) mice acquired short-lived cocaine CPP compared to wild-type (WT) mice. A single acute administration of the NO-donor molsidomine to nNOS KO mice immediately after retrieval of CPP prolonged the expression of place preference compared to controls that received saline, suggesting partial strengthening of memory reconsolidation. Taken together, these findings support the role of the NMDAR/NO signaling pathway in memory reconsolidation of cocaine CPP, and suggest that disruption of this pathway during memory reconsolidation may afford resistance to drug-seeking behavior.
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · Oct 2008
Sex differences in dopamine- and vesicular monoamine-transporter functions.
Men and women differ with regard to their use of, and responses to, methamphetamine (MA). Analogous sex differences with regard to MA are observed in animal models. In this report, data from a series of experiments that focus upon dopamine transporter (DAT) and vesicular monoamine transporter2 (VMAT2) function are reviewed by way of providing some understanding for these sex differences to MA. ⋯ Administration of the VMAT2 blocker, reserpine, in vivo resulted in a significantly greater amount of striatal DA depletion within female mice and infusion of reserpine in vitro into striatal tissue produced significantly greater levels of extracellular DA in females. The data of these reserpine experiments suggest that females possess a more active/efficient VMAT2 function. Collectively, the data provide evidence for sex differences in both DAT and VMAT2 functioning, and we propose that the interaction of these two transporter systems contributes to the differences in response to MA between males and females.
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Primary brain tumors account for less than 2% of all cancers in adults; however, they are often associated with neurologic morbidity and high mortality. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) has been a focus of new therapy development in neurooncology because it is the most common primary brain tumor in adults. Standard-of-care therapy for newly diagnosed GBM includes surgical resection, radiotherapy, and temozolomide, administered both during and after radiotherapy. ⋯ Nonetheless, first-generation targeted agents have failed to demonstrate survival benefits in unselected GBM patient populations. Several mechanisms of treatment failure of the first-generation designer drugs have been proposed, whereas new strategies have been developed to increase effectiveness of these agents. Here we will discuss the recent development and the strategies to optimize the effectiveness of designer therapy for GBM.
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · Oct 2008
Study of the current status and factors that influence indoor air pollution in 138 houses in the urban area in Xi'an.
Indoor air pollutants were monitored in 138 households in urban Xi'an that were recently decorated, and the concentrations of formaldehyde, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), amines, benzene, methylbenzol, xylene, and radon were monitored in the bedrooms, sitting rooms, dinning rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and studies of the houses. The most seriously elevated pollutants were TVOC and formaldehyde, whose rates exceeded standards by 69.8% and 60.8%, respectively. Ammonia was 13.2% above the standard, and xylene was 8.7% above the standard. ⋯ In addition, pollutants in the decorated rooms have a strong positive dependence on the monitoring seasons. Summer was the peak time of indoor pollutant levels. Households should pay extra attention to ventilation and take other effective measures to avoid health problems caused by indoor air pollutants.